The Columbian

Corrections

Strong Turnout Predicted for Election; Ballot Measures, Local Races, Absentee Voting Create High Expectations

OLYMPIA -- Election officials forecast a strong turnout for Washington's off-year election today, boosted by hot ballot measures and the surging popularity of voting by mail. Across the state, campaigns were waging furious 11th-hour get- out-the-vote efforts Monday, using mail, phone banks, sign-waving, and radio and TV commercials.

$17 Million Budgeted to Fix Columbia Jetty; Murray Also Helps Get Funds for River Channel Deepening

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Monday secured $17 million to temporarily fix a crumbling jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River, plus a little extra to continue digging the shipping channel deeper. Murray, one of 32 House and Senate negotiators who approved a $32.5 billion Energy and Water Appropriations bill on Monday, preserved the $17 million for jetty repair that she included in the Senate version of the bill 10 months ago. President Bush and the House of Representatives had not in...

Auto Industry, Gop Ask Judge to Block Oregon Emissions Cuts; Arguments Center On Whether Kulongoski Overstepped His Bounds

SALEM, Ore. -- An attorney representing the car industry and GOP lawmakers urged a judge Monday to block a move by Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Oregon environmental officials to adopt California's tough new vehicle emission standards to reduce greenhouse gases. In arguments in Marion County Circuit Court, attorney Carl Neil said Kulongoski is ignoring the wishes of the Legislature by having the state Department of Environmental Quality continue to work on adopting the California standar...

Johnson Tells New Story in Murder Retrial; Defendant Testifies That Killing Was Result of Plot to Scare Mother-in-Law

A woman accused of killing her mother-in-law while attempting to steal some money offered a new version of the events at her retrial Monday. Sophia Johnson, 27, says she was at Marlyne Johnson's house the day she died, but that she didn't witness the killing. She said that she went to the house with her then-husband, Brad, and her brother, Sean Correia. They planned to scare Marlyne Johnson enough to leave her husband.

Young Victim's Friends Protest Killing; Evergreen High Students Say Suspect Should Have Remained Behind Bars

A knot of Chelsea Harrison's friends and classmates voiced outrage over her death with an emotional protest Monday afternoon near Evergreen High School. Ten students rallied shortly after 2 p.m. along busy Northeast 18th Street.

Suspect in 1999 Beating Death Back in Court; Lesser Charge Faced After Murder Conviction Tossed

A Clark County man was back in court this week again facing charges in the 1999 beating death of a teen at an underage drinking party. Jacob Gamble was convicted of punching Daniel Carroll, 18, in the face at the party attended by more than 50 current and former Evergreen High School students. Carroll fell to the ground, struck his head and later died. Gamble was found guilty of first-degree felony murder and second-degree felony murder and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

School Reopens After Virus Attack; Some 100 Students Out of the 520 Enrolled Remain Out; Full Recovery Expected This Week

Classes resumed Monday at Mill Plain Elementary School, three days after officials shut down the building when a virulent virus sickened more than 140 students. But the 520-pupil school wasn't quite back to normal following the sudden onset of viral gastroenteritis that triggered widespread vomiting and diarrhea starting Wednesday.

Underwear Thief Sentenced ; Former Suspect in Brooke Wilberger Case Gets 4 Years

McMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) A Tigard man who stole bras and panties from students at Linfield College and George Fox University was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison and another 18 months in the Yamhill County Jail. Sung Koo Kim, 31, who has been behind bars since June 2004, will get credit for the time he has already served. While in the county jail, Kim can petition to spend the rest of his term in a treatment program.

Police Report: 'Smash-Grab' Robbers Hit Store for Smokes, Cameras

A pair of "smash and grab" burglars stole several thousand dollars worth of cigarettes and cameras from a Walgreens store in Orchards over the weekend in a break-in that a sheriff's deputy called identical to another two months earlier. Officers were called to a burglary at the drugstore, 6105 N.E. 114th Ave., about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, according to a Clark County Sheriff's Office report. When deputies arrived, they found that the burglars had thrown a 1-by-1-foot rock through the glass entry.

State Task Force Proposes Measures to Fight Meth Use

OLYMPIA A state task force has generated several ideas on how to fight methamphetamine use in the state, including making it a crime to possess large quantities of precursor chemicals used to make the highly addictive drug. The 28-member task force, called "Operation: Allied Against Meth," was appointed in August by state Attorney General Rob McKenna. A preliminary report was released to The Associated Press on Monday; a final review and recommendation will be made at a public hearing Wednes...

Reclusive Author Fowles Dies at Age 79

LONDON British author John Fowles, whose works include "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and "The Collector" has died. He was 79. Fowles died Saturday at his home in Lyme Regis, Dorset, southwest England, after a long illness, according to his publisher Random House. The publisher said Fowles' wife, Sarah, was by his side at the time of his death.

School Boundary Plan Needs More Time

CAMAS - An ad-hoc committee charged with redrawing Camas elementary and middle school enrollment boundaries is taking additional time to craft a revised plan. First reading of the boundary change plan will occur at the Nov. 28 school board meeting, two weeks later than initially scheduled and at a new location: Skyridge Middle School.